A Couple Points

Daley sounding alarms in Chicago? There's a broader political question addressed below.

He disclosed that corporate leaders are telling him they are planning huge layoffs in November and December, which will leave many Chicagoans out of work.

"This is going to be all year, so it's going to be a very frightening economy," Mayor Daley said. "Each one tells me what they're laying off, and they're going to double that next year. We're talking huge numbers of permanent layoffs for people in the economy. It's going to have a huge effect on all businesses."

The mayor said the gravity of the situation cannot be underestimated.

"We never experienced anything like this except people who came from the Depression," Mayor Daley said. "When you have that many layoffs early – and they're telling me this is only the beginning of their layoffs – that is very frightening."

Jennifer Rubin usually does some fine work. But while I don't know enough about her to call her a Neo-Con, this is the problem when liberals and moderates develop too strong a voice within your party. They don't "get" Reagan conservatism and would prefer to cave on issues beyond national defense.

She sites a range of losses that had more to do with a terrible environment for Republicans, some weak candidates and whatever else to conclude this.

The only place where Republicans are flourishing in national elections is the Deep South. There is reason to fear that if Republicans do not alter their present course they will be relegated to a permanent minority in Congress and be stuck below the 200 electoral vote mark in presidential elections.

Given all that, it is hard to see how “returning to core values” enhances the Republicans’ appeal.  If that phrase is code for “limited government,” it seems to lack an audience. At present, there is not much clamoring for fiscal austerity, at least not at the expense of other issues. Meanwhile, virulent opposition to immigration reform did the party no good in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and California — which all went Democratic at the presidential level and two of which flipped U.S. Senate seats from Republican to Democrat.

Now think of how dumb that really is considering there was no genuine conservative at the top of the ticket and McCain himself championed comprehensive immigration reform. Rubin is simply suggesting we be expedient to hold onto power and not worry about the future of America. I assume she sees the war on terror as our biggest threat. But she is wrong.

Now look at this from that first article on the economy:

"People can't afford to do certain things that they're used to doing, so if there's no revenue coming in, how can a business stay alive?" said Sonya Robinson. "They say that they're going to help us and technically, it's not helping us, because we're paying more taxes and working like a slave, and not getting anything out of it in return."

Yeah, no room for conservatism in the heart of Chicago, right? Sorry, but Rubin's take is a crock. The Neo-Cons did more to ruin the Republican brand than any other single component. And the issue resides in the greater blogosphere, as well. By and large, Pajamas Media is a bunch of liberals who want to fight a war against Islam. But it doesn't end there. Because of our joining together post-9/11 many more liberal voices have come to be identified as conservative, or Right-leaning when they actually aren't.

That doesn't mean they shouldn't have a voice, or a place in the GOP. But their place and their voice has to be understood. They are more aligned with the Left and media elite in many ways than they are with the conservative grass-roots. And cobbling together some alleged new majority by being watered down Democrats with a strong national defense is a losing cause, while putting the fabric of America at risk.

It's time for serious conservatives to start understanding the battle space we are facing. Yes, we want to build an inclusive movement. I'm not arguing for anyone to be shut out. But if someone doesn't get the value of fiscal conservatism, a free market America that believes in itself more than government, and supporting sensible values in our culture without exercising too heavy a hand, than they have no business calling themselves conservatives, or dictating the future of the GOP.

They probably should simply be Democrats and argue with that party about getting serious on National Defense. Then we might actually have two adequate parties to choose from in America one day.

Comments

[Fred]

Rubin/Issues:

There are no issues. People don't vote on issues. People vote on personality and ads. Obama outspent McCain like 8 to 1, persuading the public and buying the attitudes of the media. McCain tanked it, we now know, when he went for public financing.

They don't like the war in Iraq, they don't like the financial meltdown, they don't like the bailout. All of these are associated in the public mind with Bush. And therefore with McCain.

Plus, Palin hadn't polished her interview skills.

Get the money, the rest will follow. Only ideologues think there are issues. There are no issues, there is only money.

[jharp]

I don't see it.

Conservatives couldn't even win the GOP nomination. And several ran.

Conservatism is a huge failure. Even GOPers voted against it.

[Worst President Ever]

Shorter Fred:

People don't vote on issues, except when people vote on issues.

[Scrapiron]

Lets see now. Auto manufacturers in the Southern Conservative area are still on sound footing. Even I, a lifelong supporter of 'buy American' and the Union label, will now purchase a foreign brand automobile without the union label, and will never purchase anything connected with the UAW's union rip off's who donate millions of 'workers fund' dollars to democrats. You made the bed, sleep in it.

Compare this with your liberal havens of Il, Oh, Mi and 'every other state' ran by liberal democrats. All are bankrupt, including Ca which is ran by a phony republican tied into the Kennedy clan. The Lame Stream Liberal Democrat press outlets aren't doing so good either.

We're going to take some of your 'pie' and give it to others. (M Obama Odumbo) That is working real well, just look a the line outside congress begging for a piece of the 'bailout pie'.

[ET]

Thank God we have a diligent and objective press to make sure we get the accurate information we need to form opinions about our candidates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/arts/television/13hoax.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Folks like jharp keep drinking up these lies and regurgitating them on the blogs. Can't think for myself, must wait for thought police to populate brain with talking points...

Won't they feel foolish when all of uncle barry's promises turn out to be lies...

We tried to warn ya!

[jharp]

"Folks like jharp keep drinking up these lies and regurgitating them on the blogs."

Please ET, I'd like you to point out the lies I regurgitate.

"We tried to warn ya!"

Funny. It is the liberals who tried to warn of the disasters of George Bush policy.

And it turns out we were right. Iraq invasion, tax cuts for the wealthiest, energy policy, health care, torture. You were wrong on every count. Liberals were correct on every count.

Step aside. The GOP and conservatives are powerless and irrelevant.

And get ready for some real leadership. Liberalism.

[Fred Beloit]

Pajamas Media seems to be going awfully wobbly lately. Leading the wobble to the left [what they call the middle or moderates] are Jennifer, John Avlon, and Michele Catalano. Thank goodness Chessler, Fernandez, Hanson, Kimball, Ledeen, Miniter, Rodash, and Rosset seem to be soldiering on. Memeorandum became just another collector of Leftist blogs right before the election IMO.

[Fred Beloit]

Harpo says "The GOP and conservatives are powerless and irrelevant."
Harpo if you really believed this HS you would be very, very stupid to keep coming here wasting your energy to repeat your litany of false charges, wouldn't you? Remember that definition of insanity that's going around.

[mark l.]

http://www.pollingreport.com/budget.htm

some nuggets, that support both dem and gop positions...
a dem would find the polling on the 'who pays their fair share' as supportive but there are a few beauties in there that support the gop.

"Which do you think is more effective in stimulating the nation's economy: an economic agenda focused on returning money to taxpayers through tax cuts, or an economic agenda focused on spending on such issues as health care and education?"
45% tax cuts, 41% spending.

"As you may know, the federal income tax cuts passed into law since George W. Bush became president are set to expire within the next several years. Would you favor or oppose making those tax cuts permanent?"
54% favor, 40% oppose.

"Now thinking about taxes: Do you consider the amount of federal income tax you have to pay as too high, about right, or too low?"
52% too high, 42% about right.

http://www.pollingreport.com/immigration.htm

"Now, thinking specifically about illegal immigrants, which comes closer to your point of view? Illegal immigrants in the long-run become productive citizens and pay their fair share of taxes. OR, Illegal immigrants cost the taxpayers too much by using government services like public education and medical services."
63% cost too much, 31% pay their fair share.

even on abortion, the position, always legal, barely scrapes out 20% of the sample...

many of the poll questions are dated, but the sentiment does not fade that quickly.

[jharp]

"Harpo if you really believed this HS you would be very, very stupid to keep coming here wasting your energy to repeat your litany of false charges, wouldn't you?"

I do believe it. And why would it be stupid for me to keep coming here?

I do it for fun and amusement only. And I'm having a lot of fun and getting plenty of amusement.

[WBestPresidentEver]

Ha, I bet you get a tingle running up your leg, too.
What an idiot, you are.

[SacTownMan]

Harpo said,

"I do it for fun and amusement only."

But he forgot to add;

"Oh yea and I was banned from Pattericos for posting hateful and vile crap to the point that they had to give me the boot!"

But you and the other moonbats should be quite proud of your accomplishment, I've never even heard of someone being banned from a website before you were given that unique honor!

[seekeronos]

"--- The Neo-Cons did more to ruin the Republican brand than any other single component. ---"

About the wisest thing I have heard said on this blog in quite some time. :)